WHEREAS    young people in Prince Edward Island have increasing information literacy needs particularly in the face of rapidly developing AI, social media, and

WHEREAS  the Public Schools Branch and the Department of Education and Early Years value Inquiry-Based Education, and

WHEREAS  certified Teacher-Librarians are specialists in teaching information literacy and inquiry-based education, and are at the forefront in developing AI literacy education, and

WHEREAS   School Libraries, (also known as Learning Commons), are a tried and true means for sharing resources in difficult economic times, with Teacher-Librarian District Leaders ensuring consistency and professional development in the field, and

WHEREAS   the Education Authority Staffing and Funding Program Ministerial Directive MD 2025-05 provides guidance of minimum full-time equivalent (FTE) allocations for certified Teacher Librarians based on school enrollment to ensure equitable access to library programs and literacy support, and

WHEREAS   these allocations specify 0.25 FTE for schools under 200 students, 0.5 FTE for 200–299 students, 1.0 FTE for 300–799 students, and 1.5 FTE for 800+ students, as a distinct category under instructional non-supervisory personnel, independent of grade configuration, and

WHEREAS  very few PEI schools are in compliance with these allocations, and few PEI schools have certified or trained Teacher-Librarians, and

WHEREAS  there is currently no Teacher-Librarian Leader in either the Department of Education and Early Years, or the Public Schools Branch, to track progress towards the Ministers’ Directive, to provide professional development for Teacher-Librarians, or to monitor hiring practices so that all students across the Island have the benefits of a fully certified/trained Teacher-Librarian in their school library, and

WHEREAS   consistent implementation supports student learning and well-being, fosters parent and community collaboration, and upholds educational equity across Prince Edward Island, and

BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED that the PEI Home and School Federation respectfully urges the Department of Education and Early Years and the Public Schools Branch to hire a full-time Teacher-Librarian Leader to strengthen and enhance school library programs across the province, while monitoring progress toward compliance with the Minister’s Directive on School Libraries, to coordinate system-wide improvement, and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this position also provides leadership in professional learning for lead Teacher-Librarians, supports the hiring of certified and trained Teacher-Librarians in all schools, thereby promoting the development of a shared culture of Learning Commons within Island schools.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1m5q4CF8dwTRKZxByT1QqYjYiFJ4P8SWX_L16wYO1yms/edit?usp=sharing 
^[1] https://accessola.com/ontario-school-library-impact-project/ 
^[1] https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/librarians-teach-ai-9.7055661 
https://researcharchive.canadianschoollibraries.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/TMC8_2025_Casa-Todd.pdf 
^[1] https://tmcanada.blogspot.com/p/tmc8-fowler-jeffery-macdonald.html